On Monday night, Dan Wolken stirred up controversy with a social media post depicting “bizarre scenes” in the Notre Dame locker room after the Fighting Irish’s loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. He described players yelling at reporters and coaches cautioning against certain questions, labeling the atmosphere as “Amateur hour.”
Bizarre scenes from the Notre Dame locker room, players yelling at reporters, coaches warning people not to ask certain questions. Amateur hour.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) January 21, 2025
Wolken’s relatively vague post drew criticism, particularly from Fighting Irish fans who felt he was exaggerating the emotions of young athletes after a significant loss. After engaging in discussions with skeptics throughout Tuesday, he shifted to Reddit to offer more insights into his experiences in the Irish locker room. In a thread on the College Football subreddit, Wolken shared via his verified account that he intended to cover Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith’s game-winning catch but encountered a heated atmosphere upon entering the locker room for reactions.
Upon his arrival, he noted that other reporters had already been asking cornerback Christian Gray about the play. “A few players were shouting obscenities at the reporters and expressing their frustration that Gray was questioned about Smith,” Wolken recounted. He also saw a staff member blocking access to Gray and decided to leave due to a lack of worthwhile responses. Unfortunately, as he exited, some players directed threatening insults at him. While Wolken asserted he “didn’t really care,” he described the scene as “ugly, unbecoming, and unprofessional,” unlike anything he had witnessed in over twenty years of sports journalism.
Wolken emphasized the uniqueness of the Notre Dame locker room environment post-game compared to other losing locker rooms he had covered, attributing responsibility to the Notre Dame sports department and the College Football Playoff staff for failing to adequately prepare the players for postgame interactions. While it’s understandable that players like Gray might feel upset after such a loss, threatening reporters is unacceptable. If locker room access is granted, it’s crucial for all involved to be adequately prepared for the situation.
